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The Golem in Honnleath is a quest in The Stone Prisoner DLC for Dragon Age: Origins.

Acquisition[]

Once the Warden travels in Sulcher's Pass, the merchant after the conversation will give the Warden a Golem Control Rod which is supposedly used to operate a golem; now all that is missing is the command phrase. After he is asked for more information, the merchant says the golem can be 'picked up' from the town of Honnleath—far south within the arling of Redcliffe.

Walkthrough[]

Entering the village, you soon find out that it is overrun by darkspawn. There aren't many and the area is fairly small, with a 'statue' prominent in the village square. After battle, try your command phrase on the golem. It will not work; a quest update suggests seeking out the previous owner. A villager's corpse near the golem holds a key; this unlocks Olaf's chest (on the porch at the end of this area's other path), which contains Olaf's dagger.

After exploring the village, enter Wilhelm's Cellar. What was most recently the library level (now a terrible mess) has some Hurlocks and Genlocks to dispatch; the next, bigger room below that area has more of the same, including a Genlock emissary and Hurlock alpha. They have been focused on what seems to be an energy barrier; once the darkspawn are defeated you may talk to the refugees behind it. Matthias can explain that his father Wilhelm Sulzbacher was a mage, as well as the previous owner of the golem, Shale. Wilhelm's wife hated the golem, and sold the control rod after Wilhelm's death. If you have already tried to activate Shale, you will learn that the activation words that Wilhelm's wife provided were wrong. Matthias will agree to give you the correct words—provided you rescue his daughter Amalia, who wandered deeper into the cellar (which used to be Wilhelm's lab). The (Intimidate) option goes nowhere—he won't deal with someone who won't go after his daughter.

Further into the cellar, Lesser shades and an Ash Wraith will ambush you; The wraith drops the Harvest Festival Ring.

Deeper into the cellar you will discover a dilemma: a Desire Demon who possessed a cat (named Kitty) was sealed in the laboratory by a magical puzzle lock. Amalia has been charmed by the demon and will not leave without her new kitty. Kitty is magically prevented from touching the puzzle and Amalia can't work it out, so it's up to you to resolve the situation. You have several choices:

  • Attempt to kill the demon immediately. Any confrontation without first releasing the seal on the doorway will cause the demon to possess Amalia, forcing you to kill them both.
  • Tell the demon you'll think about it and return to Matthias. You can lie and say Amalia is dead, persuade him to abandon her or let him try to save her himself. If Matthias runs into the dungeon, he will be possessed by the demon instead.
  • You can compromise with Kitty, allowing the demon its freedom but without taking the girl. Walk out without finishing the puzzle and Matthias will engage you in conversation. If Matthias runs into the dungeon, it will end the same way as the above, with Matthias being possessed.
  • You can compromise with Kitty, allowing the demon its freedom but without taking the girl. After solving the puzzle Kitty will attempt to betray you. You can prevent Kitty from possessing the girl, in which case Kitty will attack you while Amalia escapes. Alternatively you can make a further deal and allow Kitty to possess Amalia; this outcome is the only one that obtains the staff.
  • You can lie to Kitty (if your Coercion is high enough) and tell her you are going to help her, then after you solve the puzzle, you can say "you're not going to touch the girl". Kitty will of course attack you, and Amalia escapes unpossessed.
  • You can simply help Kitty and allow the demon to possess the girl.

If you make a deal to allow the demon to possess Amalia then Matthias will always be fooled by her performance. Based on your choice, you can vary the approval of your companions as well as which quest items you receive. (See Result for approval changes and items for each choice.)

After the first dialog with Kitty, you will be ambushed on the wooden bridge as well as in the root room by Lesser shades. They will always spawn, whether you make a deal with the demon, slay it or leave it.

Regardless of your choices, you will always obtain the command phrase from Matthias. A ladder on the wall, in the room where you find Matthias, provides a short-cut to the surface. Once top-side, you can now activate Shale.

Notable items[]

Codex entries[]

Dragon_Age_Origins_Honnleath_Puzzle_solution_HD_The_Stone_Prisoner

Dragon Age Origins Honnleath Puzzle solution HD The Stone Prisoner

Puzzle solution to free the girl from Kitty

Puzzle[]

The puzzle in the room is a 5 by 5 sliding puzzle with a twist. The objective is to get the flame to travel from one corner of the board to the other by moving the tiles. Each tile has an arrow on it, pointing in the direction the flame will jump. Once the flame has reached the end tile, the seal on the door will be released and the kitty will automatically resume dialog.

From the initial board position, it is possible to solve the puzzle using the following steps.

Kitty Puzzle Starting Positions

Starting positions for the puzzle in Wilhelm's Basement.

The steps tell you which way to move a tile, not the tile to move. Therefore, left means you move the only tile that can move left, and not the tile to the left of the gap.

↑ ↑ ← ↓ → ↑ ← ↓ → ↓ ← ↑ ↑ ← ↑ ← ↓ ← ↑ → ↓ ↓ ← ↑ ↑ → ↓

There are seven solutions with the minimal number of moves (19); of these, the following probably causes the least amount of singeing:

↑ ← ← ↓ ← ↑ ↑ → → ↓ ← ↑ ↑ ← ↓ ← ↑ → ↓

In any case it is advisable to stop burning before moving the last tile into place, since otherwise the burning will continue throughout the ensuing dialogue with Kitty.

Complete the puzzle and you get:

  • 500 XP
Note: If you killed Kitty or Kitty possessed Amalia or Matthias without you doing the puzzle then you cannot do it afterwards.

Result[]

  • Regardless of your decisions, Matthias will tell you the correct command phrase, so you can recruit Shale into the party as a companion.
  • You will also receive a monetary reward after Matthias tells you the command phrase:
    • If you help Kitty and let her possess Amalia (see "Help Kitty" below), you will receive 1Gold 50Silver 0Bronze.
    • If Kitty possesses Matthias and you let him go, you will receive 1Gold 50Silver 0Bronze.
    • Otherwise the reward will be 50 Silver
  • You get 150 XP if any of the following occurred:
    • Kitty possessed Amalia and you killed her.
    • You killed Kitty and Amalia escaped to her father.
    • You left Kitty and Amalia without making a decision and told Matthias she is dead (this requires a high Persuasion score).
    • Kitty possessed Matthias and you killed him.
  • You get 300 XP if any of the following occurred:
    • Kitty possessed Amalia and you let her go.
    • Kitty possessed Matthias and you let him go.

Decision dependent results[]

How you decide to deal with the demon affects some loot possibilities and how your companions react:

Choices Loot Alistair Leliana Morrigan Oghren Sten Wynne Zevran Details
Refuse to Negotiate Helm and Cord
Alistair
+1
Morrigan
-3
Oghren
+2
Sten
+4
Wynne
-5
Zevran
0
Refuse to deal at all with Kitty, causing the demon to possess Amalia immediately and you must kill them.
Lie to Dad
Morrigan
-5
Sten
0
Tell Kitty you'll think about it and lie to Matthias about her death.
Lie to Dad 2 Helm and Cord
Leliana
-5
Morrigan
-3
Sten
+4
Wynne
-5
Zevran
0
Tell Kitty you'll think about it and lie to Matthias that you didn't find her. After being possessed, say "No! I didn't mean for this to happen" or say you're not going to let it leave.
Persuade Dad
Alistair
-3
Leliana
-5
Morrigan
+4
Tell Kitty you'll think about it and persuade Matthias that Amalia is dead.
Force Dad's Help Cord and 1Gold 50Silver
Alistair
-10
Leliana
-15
Morrigan
+7
Oghren
0
Wynne
-10
Zevran
+2
Tell Kitty you'll think about it and force Matthias to attempt to save her. He is possessed and you let him go.
Compromise Helm and Cord
Alistair
+2
Leliana
+7
Morrigan
-3
Sten
0
Wynne
+4
Zevran
+4
Promise to let Kitty go without Amalia, solve the puzzle, then don't allow Kitty to possess Amalia.
Compromise then Help Kitty Staff
Alistair
-10
Leliana
-15
Morrigan
+7
Oghren
0
Sten
-3
Wynne
-15
Zevran
+4
Promise to let Kitty go without Amalia, solve the puzzle, then make a deal with Kitty to possess Amalia after all, asking it to make it worth your while. Note: You get the belt after talking to her father.
Help Kitty Cord and 1Gold 50Silver
Alistair
-10
Leliana
-15
Morrigan
+7
Oghren
0
Sten
-3
Wynne
-15
Zevran
0
Solve the puzzle and allow Kitty to possess Amalia.
Betray Kitty Helm and Cord
Alistair
+2
Leliana
+7
Morrigan
-3
Oghren
0
Sten
0
Wynne
+4
Zevran
+4
Promise to allow Kitty to possess Amalia, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word.
Fail to Betray Helm
Alistair
0
Leliana
0
Morrigan
0
Oghren
0
Sten
0
Wynne
0
Zevran
0
Promise to allow Kitty to possess Amalia, solve the puzzle, but go back on your word and fail the persuasion check. Kitty possesses Amalia and you must kill them.
Note: If you return to Matthias before you make a decision with Kitty and tell him that Amalia is being held by a demon then Ico DisAppr Heart Leliana disapproves (-5)

Post activation results[]

Shale recruitment - DA Keep

The recruitment choices for Shale in Dragon Age Keep

After activating Shale, you can choose whether to recruit it. If Alistair is in the party:

  1. Thank you for stating the completely obvious.Ico DisAppr Heart Alistair disapproves (-5)
    1. (Persuade) Think of it as a portable battering ram.Ico DisAppr Heart Alistair disapproves (-1)PC glitch found when Alistair was at 92 approval; choosing this option instead bumped his approval up by one, despite the message claiming approval loss.
  2. I could tell it to do something else... Shale asks if you have changed your mind:
    1. If you tell Shale to leave then she leaves forever and Ico DisAppr Heart Alistair disapproves (-4)
    2. If you tell Shale you haven't changed your mind then Ico DisAppr Heart Alistair disapproves (-7)
  3. It's coming with us. No question.Ico DisAppr Heart Alistair disapproves (-8)

Notes[]

  • The choice-dependent loot includes the Helm of Honnleath, Wilhelm's Magus Staff and the Cord of Shattered Dreams, listed above as Helm, Staff and Cord.
  • Some companions might react differently if they are hardened.
  • Players have not determined all possible reactions from the companions; neutral reactions are marked as 0.
  • Successful persuasion requires at least 60 points of Cunning without the Coercion skill or 1 point in Coercion and 35 points of Cunning or 2 points in Coercion.
  • Alistair is a little bothered if you ask Shale to attack him as your first command. You get -1 approval from Alistair.
  • Oghren has no specific reactions to Golems though he likes the idea of having a Golem fighting alongside him. You get +2 Approval from Oghren.
  • If Oghren is present, you can ask Shale to dwarf toss to test the control rod. This is presumably a reference to the Lord of the Rings, where Gimli keeps stating that "nobody can toss a dwarf!".
  • If Zevran is present, you can ask Shale to give Zevran a hug, which he seems a bit put off by, but there is no approval change.
  • If you are polite to Shale then you get +1 to +2 Approval from Shale. If you are not polite (or you made fun of her name) then you get -1 to -3 Approval from Shale.
  • After deciding to take Shale with you, when you put it in your party and walk outside of the village, you'll see a short cutscene of Shale squashing a chicken.

Bugs[]

  • After defeating the darkspawn, you may find yourself unable to speak to the villagers on the other side of the energy barrier. Your best bet is to go back to a previous save file, and do it over.
  • The ash wraith that drops Harvest festival ring does not show up sometimes. (ps3)
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